Wrist watch attachment



Oct. 26, 1965 M. H. BRENNER WRIST WATCH ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 51, 1962 United States Patent 3,214,685 WRlST WATCH ATTAtIlfiVlENT Meyer Harvey Brenner, 8 45 West End Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 234,482 Claims. (Cl. 2244) This; invention relates to an attachment for wrist watches. It relates particularly to an attachment for wrist watches having cases formed with pairs of drilled ears or lugs for the location and retention of pin assemblies whereby Wrist straps or wrist bands are customarily connected to the watches. It relates more particularly to an attachment for wrist watches of the kind described which are designated further as mens wrist watches.

A man usually carries a watch either in a pocket at the waistband of his trousers or strapped or handed to one of his wrists. Not infrequently, however, it would be a convenience for a man in such an occupation as field engineering or bus driving to have means for carrying a watch externally on his clothing, for example, on his belt or on a shirt or jacket pocket. Not infrequently, too, it would be a convenience for a traveling man, who might well be a follower of the profession or trade just noted, to have means for setting up on a hotel or motel room desk or beside table the same timepiece which he carries on his person during working hours.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment for wrist watches whereby a watch of the kind known as a mans wrist watch may be carried on an edged portion of an item of clothing such on the edge of a belt or the edge of a shirt or jacket pocket.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment for wrist watches whereby a watch of the kind known as a mans Wrist watch may be set up on a plane surface such as a table top with its dial face in an attitude for easy reading.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a single attachment for wrist watches whereby a watch of the kind known as a mans wrist Watch may be either carried on an edged portion of an item of clothing or set up on a horizontal surface with its dial face in an attitude for easy reading.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment for wrist watches according to the object last stated which is of simple clip-like construction and economical manufacture, and which may be attached easily to and around one of the strap or band pin assemblies of a mans wrist watch, and used with facility after being so attached.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly perceived and fully understood by referring to the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 represents an oblique View of a mans wrist watch set up on a horizontal surface with its dial face in an attitude for easy reading by means of one embodiment of the attachment of this invention oriented at an angle to the watch;

FIG. 2 represents an edge view of the watch and attachment setup of FIG. 1, a portion of an upper ear of the watch case being broken away;

FIG. 3 represents an oblique view of the wrist watch and attachment of FIG. 1 with both the watch and the attachment oriented vertically;

FIG. 4 represents an edge view of the wrist watch and attachment of FIG. 1 with the attachment engaged to and around a trouser belt, a portion of an upper ear of the watch case being broken away.

FIG. 5 represents an exploded view of the watch and attachment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 represents an edge view of the watch of FIG. 1 and an alternate embodiment of the attachment of this invention, portions of an upper and a lower ear of the case of this watch being broken away.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, especially to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 thereof, a typical mans wrist watch 10 comprises a case 12, a dial face 14, an upper pair of cars 16 and 18 extending upwardly from the case, a lower pair of cars 20 and 22 extending downwardly from the case, and a winding knob 24 disposed between an upper and a lower ear. Bars 16, 18, 20 and 22', have holes 26, 28, 30 and 32 drilled or otherwise formed in them respectively. These holes are for the accommodation of the end elements of pin assemblies normally used with the watch for the connection of wrist straps or a wrist band to it. A typical pin assembly 34 comprises a central sleeve 36 and end elements 38 and 40, these elements normally projecting well out from the sleeve, but being capable of being pushed at least part way back into sleeve 36 against the force of a spring within it.

Pin assembly 34 used with mens watches is a standard assembly not only in respect of general construction and mode of operation, but also in respect of specific dimensions. Accordingly, the diameters of ear holes 26, 28, 30 and 32 are not only of a common value for a given mans wrist watch such as watch 10, but also of a value which is substantially common or standard throughout all mens wrist Watches. In addition, and importantly for purposes of the present invention, the distance A between the inner surfaces of lower ears 20 and 22 of watch 10 is essentially the same as the distance between the inner surfaces of upper ears 16 and 18, and is of a value which is substantially common or standard throughout all mens wrist watches. This distance is about /8 in.

Shown in FIG. 5 in exploded association with wrist watch 10 and pin assembly 34 is wrist watch attachment 42. This attachment is a unitary clip-like device formed of a strip of spring steel or other suitable resilient material having a regular width about as great as dimension B, the more or less standard distance between the outer surfaces of lower cars 20 and 22 on watch case 12. It has a front leaf 44 and a back leaf 46 which are joined at a U-bend region 48 having a front leg and a back leg.

y This U-bend region is somewhat offset or displaced toward the front of the attachment as shown particularly clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4. Back leaf 46 is straight all the way down to its lower end or edge from U-bend 48. Front leaf 44 on the other hand has a somewhat forwardly curved or flared portion 50 at its lower end. In the absence of some object or edged portion of material such as a belt or a shirt or jacket pocket being inserted between the front and back leaves of attachment 42 to maintain these leaves apart, the normal and desired action of U-bend 48 is to maintain leaves 44 and 46 in contact with each other as shown especially clearly in FIG. 2.

Referring particularly to FIG. 5, the front leg or side of U-bend 48 is notched rectangularly on either edge to generate transverse shoulders 52 and 54 extending inwardly from one edge and transverse shoulders 56 and 58 extending inwardly from the other. Shoulders 52 and 56 are in line one with the other, and so are shoulders 54 and 58. Desirably although not necessarily shoulders 52 and 54 have the same lengths as shoulders 56 and 58; that is, the rectangular notches is either edge of the front leg of U-bend 48 are desirably cut to identical depths. The widths of the notches are at least somewhat greater than the end thicknesses of watch case ears 16 and 18 measured normally to dial face 14.

Shoulders 52 and 54 on the one hand and shoulders 56 and 58 on the other terminate inwardly respectively at recessed edges 60 and 62 of the front leg of U-bend 48. With respect to the overall width of this front leg, the notches in either edge of it are preferably so deep that the width of the leg portion defined between recessed edges 60 and 62 is such that this portion can fit fairly closely but without any binding between the inner surfaces of upper ears 16 and 18 of watch 10. Said in other words, the width of the portion of the front leg of U-bend 48 defined between recessed edges 68 and 62 is preferably only slightly less than dimension A; that is, about /8 in. or only slightly less than that.

To make the assembly of watch 10, strap pin 34, and attachment 42 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the first step is to pass the upper ears 16 and 18 on watch case 12 sufficiently far through the notches in the front leg of U-bend 48 that the upper portions of these ears wherein holes 26 and 28 are defined are within the interior region of the U-bend. Pin assembly 34 is then inserted into the U-bend adjacent the intruding ends of cars 16 and 18. Finally one or both of the pins end elements 38 and 40 are depressed into its case 36 as necessary and the pin assembly set and snapped into place between watch ears 26 and 28 by means of either standard jewelers tools or their equivalents so that the end elements of the pin extend into ear holes 26 and 28. The portion of the front leg of U-bend 48 now passes between watch case 12 and pin assembly 34, and watch and attachment 42 are accordingly secured one to the other with a limited amount of angular movement between them about the strap pin being possible.

In the showings of FIGS. 1 and 2, watch attachment 42 has been swung as far to the rear as it can go relative to wrist watch 18. Angular movement of the at tachment has been stopped by its transverse shoulders 52 and 56 coming to bear on the front or outer surfaces of watch ears 16 and 18 respectively. In this swung apart or spread condition, the watch and the watch attachment may be supported on and by a horizontal surface 64 such as the top of a desk or table with the watchs dial face 14 assuming a somewhat back-slanting attitude permitting easy reading of it.

In the showing of FIG. 3, watch 10 and watch attachment 42 have been picked up from surface 64 by grasping them near their region of connection at ears 1'6 and 18 and U-bend 48. The watch and watch attachment have accordingly swung toward each other around pin assembly 34 and each has assumed a more or less vertical orientation, with the aforementioned forward offset or displacement of U-bend 48 of attachment 42 allowing the somewhat protruding back cover portion of watch case 12 to come substantially flat against front leaf 44 of the attachment as more clearly shown in FIG. 4.

In the showing of FIG. 4, the watch and the Watch attachment have been taken from their showing in FIG. 3 and watch attachment 42 has been pushed down onto and into enclosing relation with a trouser belt 66, back leaf 46 of the attachment having passed between the inside surface of the belt and the outside surface of the waistband portion 68 of a pair of trousers. The forwardly flared or curved portion 50 at the lower end of front leaf 44 has facilitated entry of belt 66 between the front and back leaves of the watch attachment to spread these leaves. The full flatness of back leaf 46 causes this leaf to exert an even pressure against the occupant of the trousers, if it exerts any perceptible pressure against him at all.

FIG. 4 together with FIG. 3 shows the desired length of front leaf 44 of attachment 42 to be such that the lower end of this leaf is at least slightly below the lower or free ends of watch case ears 2t} and 22 when the watch and the watch attachment are both oriented substantially vertically with the watch hanging freely from the watch attachment. The lengths of front and back leaves 44 and 46 of attachment 42 are approximately equal.

As watch 10 is hung from belt 66 by means of attachment 42 and pin assembly 34, the belt wearer may read the watch in either one of at least two ways. In one way, he may pick the watch and the watch attachment completely off of his belt; hold the watch up before his face for reading, and thereafter replace the watch and its attachment on his belt. In another way, he may flip watch 10 up around pin assembly 34 to assume an angle with respect to attachment 42 more or less as shown in FIG. 2, and then glance down to read it. Of course in this latter way, as watch 10 and attachment 42 are connected in FIG. 4, dial face 14 will be inverted from its normal reading orientation.

If watch 10 is to be carried on a trouser belt a great deal, it may be desirable to connect the watch and the watch attachment by having lower cars 20 and 22 on watch case 12 rather than upper ears 16 and 18 extend into the notches in attachment 42. Ear 20 would occupy the notch shown as occupied by ear 18, and ear 22 would occupy the notch shown as occupied by ear 16 to keep the dial face 14 outward from attachment front leaf 44. End elements 38 and 40 of pin assembly 34 would enter ear holes 32 and 30 respectively, assuming that the illustrated orientation of the pin assembly were maintained. With watch 10 and watch attachment 40 so connected, dial face 14 would have a normal reading orientation to a downwardly glancing belt wearer with the watch in its flipped up position. The location of winding knob 24 would be switched from one side of the watch to the other relative to the belt wearer.

Referring finally to FIG. 6, wrist watch 10 is shown connected to a wrist watch attachment 142 which is similar to attachment 42 in all respects except one. The particular difference between attachments 42 and 142 is that the lower end portion of the front leaf of attachment 142 is considerably more forwardly curved or flared than is the corresponding portion 50 of front leaf 44 of attachment 42. Lower end portion 156 is indeed sufiiciently forwardly and also upwardly curved as well as being appropriately narrowed that it can make at least a light spring-like retaining engagement with pin assembly 134 of which the end elements extend into holes 30 and 32 in watch case ears 20 and 22. The retaining or detent action between front leaf lower end portion 150 and pin assembly 134 prevents watch 10 from swinging out away from attachment 142 when this attachment is inclined forwardly as it might be occasionally if clipped onto a shirt or jacket pocket. Correspondingly, wrist watch 10 will not swing back against attachment 142 as the latter is straightened up, and there will be no potential impact damage to the watch by hitting against the attachment.

The attachment of lower end portion 150 on pin assembly 134 should be sutficiently light that the wrist watch can be flipped up from its attachment for easy reading when desired, and then flipped down again into detained position, all with only about normal finger tip force. Wrist watch 10 can, of course, be reversed in angular position in and on attachment 142 so that the dial face of the watch in flipped up attitude will have a normal reading orientation to a wearer of the attachment who wants to read the watch with the attachment in place on his clothes. In this circumstance, front leaf lower end portion 150 would have detent action on and with a strap pin assembly running between watch case ears 16 and 18.

Protection by Letters Patent of this invention in all of its aspects as the same is defined in the appended claims is sought to the greatest extent that the prior art allows.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrist watch attachment comprising (1) a front leaf, (2) a back leaf, and (3) a resilient U-bend having a front leg wherefrom said front leaf extends and a back leg wherefrom said back leaf extends in generally the same direction as said front leaf, the front leg of said U-bend being characterized by a notch in either edge with said notches being in alignment from edge to edge of said front leg, and the U bend being somewhat offset toward the front relative to said front and back leaves, and acting normally to maintain said leaves in contact, said U-bend being so constructed and arranged so as to enable the ears of a Watch to be inserted through the notches with a means for receiving a pin assembly positioned within the U-bend.

2. The combination of 1) a wrist watch comprising (i) a case, (ii) a first pair of strap connection ears extending from said case on a first portion of the edge thereof, and (iii) a second pair of strap connection ears extending from said case on a second portion of the edge thereof opposite to said first portion, (2) a wrist watch strap pin assembly, and (3) a wrist watch attachment comprising (i) a front leaf, (ii) a back leaf, and (iii) a resilient U-bend having a front leg wherefrom said front leaf extends and a back leg wherefrom said back leaf extends in generally the same direction as said front leaf, the front leg of said U-bend being characterized by a notch in either edge with said notches being in alignment from edge to edge of said front leg; said first pair of strap connection ears extending rotatably through said notches into the interior of said U-bend, and said strap pin assembly extending and being retained between the ears of said first pair of ears within the interior of said U-bend.

3. The combination of (l) a wrist watch comprising (i) a case, (ii) a first pair of strap connection ears extending from said case on a portion of the edge thereof, and (iii) a second pair of strap connection ears extending from said case on a second portion of the edge thereof opposite to said first portion, (2) a first wrist watch strap pin assembly, (3) a second wrist watch strap pin assembly, and (4) a wrist watch attachment comprising (i) a front leaf having an upwardly and forwardly curved lower end portion, (ii) a back leaf, and (iii) a resilient U-bend having a front leg wherefrom said front leaf extends at its upper end and a back leg wherefrom said back leaf extends in generally the same direction as said front leaf, the front leg of said U-bend being characterized by a notch in either edge with said notches being in alignment from edge to edge of said front leg; said first pair of strap connection ears extending rotatably through said notches into the interior of said U-bend, said first strap pin assembly extending and being retained between the ears of said first pair of ears within the interior of said U-bend, said second strap pin assembly extending and being retained between the ears of said second pair of ears, and the upwardly and forwardly curved lower end portion of said front leaf being adapted to make at least a light spring-like retaining engagement with said second wrist watch strap pin assembly.

4. The combination according to claim 3 in which the lower end portion of said front leaf is engaged with said second strap pin assembly, the back of the case of said watch being adjacent the front leaf of said wrist watch attachment.

5. A wrist watch attachment comprising (1) a front leaf, (2) a back leaf, and (3) a resilient U-bend having a front leg wherefrom said front leaf extends and a back leg wherefrom said back leaf extends in generally the same direction as said front leaf, the front leg of said U-bend being characterized by a notch in either edge with said notches being in alignment from edge to edge of said front leg, and the U-bend being somewhat offset toward the front relative to said front and back leaves, and acting normally to maintain said leaves in contact; the normal region of contact of said front and back leaves being normally spaced from the ends thereof most distant from said U-bend; the lower end portion of said front leaf below the region of contact of said leaves being curved at least somewhat upwardly and forwardly away from said back leaf, and. said back leaf being substantially flat for its entire length.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,651,804- 12/27 Bosch 248-117 1,935,312 11/33 Cook 24-3 2,509,428 5/50 Greene 224--4rl HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,214g685 October 26, 1965 Meyer Harvey Brenner It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 26, for "beside" read bedside line 31, after "such" insert as column 2, line 64, for "is", second occurrence, read in column 4, line 52, for "attachment" read engagement Signed and sealed this 7th day of June 1966.

(SEAL) llttest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

1. A WRIST WATCH ATTACHMENT COMPRISING (1) A FRONT LEAF, (2) A BACK LEAF, AND (3) A RESILIENT U-BEND HAVING A FRONT LEG WHEREFROM SAID FRONT LEAF EXTENDS AND A BACK LEG WHEREFROM SAID BACK LEAF EXTENDS IN GENERALLY THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID FRONT LEAF, THE FRONT LEG OF SAID U-BEND BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A NOTCH IN EITHER EDGE WITH SAID NOTCHES BEING IN ALIGNMENT FROM EDGE TO EDGE OF SAID FRONT LEG, AND THE U-BEND BEING SOMEWHAT OFFSET TOWARD THE FRONT RELATIVE TO SAID FRONT AND BACK LEAVES, AND ACTING NORMALLY TO MAINTAIN SAID LEAVES IN CONTACT, SAID U-BEND BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED SO AS TO ENABLE THE EARS OF WATCH TO BE INSERTED THROUGH THE NOTCHES WITH A MEANS FOR RECEIVING A PIN ASSEMBLY POSITIONED WITHIN THE U-BEND. 